Organic recycling as a weapon towards sustainability
TAIS is the answer to a world without waste
Written by Karina Torres
After the waste and landfill crisis in Puerto Rico, the Puerto Rican company Trito Agro-Industrial Services (TAIS) seeks to tackle this problem by diverting and transforming organic waste into compost and soil, providing services to homes, businesses, and large producers.
As described by the founder José Pacheco Gale, who also indicated that the company is based on ‘recicloponía’ as a philosophy to reduce the environmental, social, and economic impact of waste and promote sustainable lifestyles and production on the island.
“Recicloponía is something we (TAIS) invented, but it means the cycle of transforming organic waste to compost, and from compost to fresh products or planting,” the founder explained.
The problem at hand
According to Pacheco Gale, landfills are the third largest emitter of methane (greenhouse gas), and emphasized that methane has a greater warming potential than carbon dioxide.
Eight to 10 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions are estimated to be associated with food waste, as reported by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) 2021 Food Waste Index Report.
“Landfills are the result of a lack of infrastructure, it is a symptom of the damage we (society) do. People must be given solutions on how they can be responsible with their resources, eliminating the option of landfills, because a landfill does not provide anything, but composting provides a solution”, the founder indicated, who also has the goal of creating bioenergy and biodiesel from organic matter.
Pacheco Gale emphasized that this environmental problem causes a ‘cascade effect’, since it is linked to other social problems such as public health given that the accumulation of organic waste produces bad odors, threatens waterways, and more.
"We must rectify the damage, this is an environmental and social problem, we (TAIS) are solving both," the Founder said regarding the need to address the waste and landfill crisis.
Borikasi to the rescue
In an effort to deal with the management and diversion of organic waste in Puerto Rico, TAIS created the “Borikashi Kit”, a special equipment made so that everyone can recycle food and other organic materials.
According to Pacheco Gale, the “Borikashi Kit” consists of a container, or fermenter, and the “Borikashi” additive that works to activate a process of fermentation, not decomposition, of organic matter without causing an unpleasant smell.
The Founder indicated that the purpose of the kit is to combat waste and its accumulation, starting from home and people’s habits.
"We must rethink the way in which 'garbage' is thrown away, it is creating sustainable habits...composting is the only recycling that one can do on their own," Pacheco Gale emphasized.
Through an exchange subscription, TAIS collects the fermenters of its clients to take the material to its transformation site, where they attend the composting process for 90 days and then sell it and/or its crops to farmers and places such as restaurants.
"The key point of compost is that it can be recirculated", the Founder highlighted about how the recycling of organic matter also benefits different sectors.
The obstacles
According to Pacheco Gale, in Puerto Rico there are no incentives or requirements for recycling organic matter or composting, and there are few initiatives to enforce this.
Likewise, the Founder highlighted that the lack of education and knowledge about food recycling, the impact of waste, and composting also hinders the implementation of governmental measures and sustainable habits within society.
"It is a challenge to make people understand the work we (TAIS) do and understand that composting has value, that it is not just collecting garbage," Pacheco Gale said.
Therefore, in order to promote a more sustainable culture and economy, the founder indicated that municipal ordinances or programs should be created for producers, institutions, businesses, and other establishments to recycle their organic waste and thus enforce effective waste management and for it to be reused.
Likewise, Pacheco Gale stressed that enforcing food recycling and composting measures would allow agroecological, circular, and regenerative agriculture.
“If we (Puerto Ricans) want food sovereignty, we need a national compost system,” the founder said, regarding the relation between the recycling of organic matter, and the colonial and importation issue (of food) in Puerto Rico.
"By making an alliance between agriculture and recycling, you create an understanding that recycling is an abundance of all the things we need", he added.
The big picture
Therefore, according to Pacheco Gale, more recycling and composting centers are needed on the island so that waste can reach these, be organized, and recirculated within the economy.
“Instead of 27 landfills, we should have 300 small recycling centers. That is what is needed,” the founder explained. "If we say that it is a problem and we tend to it in an organized way, it is no longer a big deal," he added.
Similarly, to achieve a society more informed about the effects of waste and the value of food and composting, all communities, schools, and other sectors should participate in ‘recicloponía’ through education and practice, Pacheco Gale indicated.
However, the Founder stressed that, for real change to be seen, information and resources must be made accessible so that all people and communities can participate in recycling, composting, and in having sustainable habits.
"This (the waste and landfill crisis) is a serious problem, but it is something we can unlearn...recycling must be something that resonates," Pacheco Gale expressed.